Warbreaker (2 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation]

Written by Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by A Full Cast, Richard Rohan, Mort Shelby and 17 more

After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today's leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn't like his job, and the immortal who's still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren's capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GraphicAudio
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645417934

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. His bestsellers have sold 32 million copies worldwide and include the Mistborn saga; the Stormlight Archive novels; and other novels, including The Rithmatist, Steelheart, and Skyward. He won a Hugo Award for The Emperor's Soul, a novella set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris. Additionally, he completed Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. Visit his website for behind-the-scenes information on all his books.

Reviews for Warbreaker (2 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation]

[Stephanie Bingham · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like this book but the dramatization was overdone. Nobody makes that much noise when they are eating.

[Corinne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this audiobook a lot. A lot more than a simple audiobook. I think the dramatized reading really brought the story to life and helped me visualize better the events. My only critique is the slow pace and how the sounds overpowered the dialogue during fighting scenes.

[Ciprian S · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best audio books due to the great work of the Graphic Audio.

[comfypants · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A 2009 novel, book 5 in the Cosmere universe.Two princesses try to avoid war with a country ruled by gods.B (Good).Of the three Cosmere series I've read so far, this one is easily set in the least interestingly developed world. There's a lot about it that isn't explained, or that doesn't end up mattering. The "Awakening" powers - the magic that main characters use - could have been left out without significantly changing the plot. Meanwhile, the story is focused on court intrigue, with relatively little action/adventure. It's still a good book, though. It's a page-turner, with plenty of fun bits to keep me entertained. I just have high expectations for Sanderson.(Dec. 2022)

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely world to live in for awhile, where color is the source of power. I enjoyed this read, at the end I was wishing for more.

[bbbart-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really nice and interesting fantasy novel. Indeed quite different from other books in the same genre.

The magic system is quite intricate, yet easy to understand and *very* nicely explained throughout the book without hindering the flow of the story. The set of characters is not too large, but diverse enough to allow for recognition and likeability of their personalities.

About 80% into the story, the plot starts to twist and turn and take extraordinary directions which kept me from putting it down. The finale is amazing.

Great book for fantasy lovers, well written and easy to follow, yet interesting plot with wonderfully evolving characters.

If Warbreaker turns out to become a series, I'll certainly go for it.

[jennifer7089 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 /5 stars. Favorite character is Lightsong. He is a funny God lol.

[cindywho-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finally checked out Sanderson on the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend. Solid fantasy with interesting magic system. It was an e-book freebie and had a few annoying typos, but it was overall enjoyable.

[conalo-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting listen and a book that held up very well throughout most of the story. I was not really enamored with the finish which the author was apparently undecided in whether this was the whole story or that there were going to be a series with further books.

Recommended for Sanderson fans.

[infjsarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one a lot. Interesting world and magic system and leaves some mystery to it. Likeable main characters. I would happily read the hinted at sequel.

[joseph_scifres-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here's what I love about this book: Epic in scope, yet confined tightly and neatly to a single volume. A masterful story told, characters developed and plot with twists, all in a single book. As much as I love epic fantasy's tendency to compose tome after tome of content, a standalone work like this is an absolute breath of fresh air. Highly recommend.

[renbedell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great fantasy novel set in an interesting world and a creative magic system. The story is very captivating and I really enjoyed the intrigue of the gods, priests, and the relationship between nations. If you take away the magic, I still think this would still be a great book. The worldbuilidng is great, dialogue is well-written, and the characters are interesting. It is truly an all around well-written book that will have the pages turning constantly.

[dlmorrese · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At first glance, this is just another heroic fantasy, a sword and sorcery swashbuckler. But it is exceptionally well written, full of political intrigue, interesting characters, clever dialogue, and it has a novel magic system.

My only gripes about the TOR edition I read have nothing to do with the story. It's the cover. The expression on the young woman's face makes her look like a tipsy (or possibly unconscious) lounge singer. The cover also proclaims this to be "A Sci Fi Essential Book". It's not Sci-Fi--not remotely. When I first began reading it, I kept wondering how the fantasy was going to be explained in scientific terms. It never was. This is a traditional fantasy story from beginning to end, but it's a good one.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting idea using colour and breath as a basis for magic, just felt a little too much like concept over story.In a world where some people return as better forms of themselves to be able to grant one healing, many use this second chance, where they are treated as gods to indulge themselves, until one day, almost like a compulsion they use this power. Above them is the God King, who is to marry, Vivienna from another kingdom is promised to him , she has been groomed for this from birth. Her father sends the unprepared Siri, this will change the world.Somewhat predictable, entertaining though. I just felt like there was a better story lurking under more thought.

[foggidawn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Man, I wish I could write like Brandon Sanderson! As I've come to expect from him, this is a complex and well-developed fantasy with great characters, a massively complicated magic system that still manages to make perfect sense, and a fast-paced plot with lots of twists and turns. He managed more strong female characters in this one than in some of his other books (I love the Mistborn series, but it is almost Tolkien-esque in how male-dominated it is), though there's still some room for improvement on that front. Still, that's my one nit-picky complaint -- all in all, I loved this and have no idea why I waited so long to read it.

[vinbert-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think it was an excellent premise, and I liked the way the POV changes throughout the story. The appendixes to each chapter, detailing what he was looking to do, is also wonderful, but I'd advise you to not read those until after the main story, because some of them do contain spoilers! I like the magic system here, and it doesn't seem to be as repetitive as the one in Mistborn, and the one is Way of Kings. Those two systems are too similar, but this one has a totally different feel to it. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read!

[npjacobsen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book by Brandon Sanderson that I have read, and now I wonder what took me so long. There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe this book. I absolutely loved it! The world Mr. Sanderson created was familiar enough for me to relate to, and yet different enough to seem foreign and exotic. The plot twists kept me off balance as time and again those perceived as enemies became friends and those perceived as friends became enemies. This was one of those rare books that I did not want to see end and at the same time could not seem to put down. I will definitely be putting Brandon Sanderson on my list of favorite authors.

[gsb68 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting... Mr. Sanderson continues to write very original forms of magic. If you can enjoy reading a computer screen you should go download this from Sanderson's website now, or wait until its released later this year. I look forward to reading more of this series.

[staticblaq-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really liked Sanderson's Elantris and that's what prompted me to pick up Warbreaker. Warbreaker seemed to follow the same style as Elatris - the multiple points of view; the political intrigue; double-crossing etc etc, Second time around much of what I liked in Elantris was less fresh in Warbreaker. It took a lot longer to get into Warbreaker - much of that was getting through the details of Warbreakers magic system. This is actually what I found the weakest element of the story. The notion of colours and breaths felt to me like the author had really reached in order to make something unique. It rang a little forced for me - particularly all the long-winded exposition getting through the details and constantly reminding the reader how it worked. Through the early parts of the story I was wondering if after Elantris and Warbreaker, Sanderson might develop a system based on farts.

[ninjatat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The imagination of Brandon Sanderson amazes me yet again! While "Warbreaker" did move a little slowly at times, I loved it! The lore was amazing and imaginative, the characters were rich and interesting. There was even a good love story!

[katya0133 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sanderson fans have come to expect fascinating magic systems from his books and Warbreaker doesn't disappoint. However, I was even more impressed with the book's themes of perception and misjudgment, as almost every character turns out to be different from our first impressions of him or her. This might be my favorite Brandon Sanderson book yet.

[piersanti-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another good book from this author. Not my favorite from him, but very good for a fantasy book.

[rosecrossed · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't often read stand alone novels as I like good long series focusing on the same characters, but I gave this one a shot because it was by Brandon Sanderson. I'm so glad I did. This has such an interesting magic system, and a good plot, and interesting characters. I recommend it to any who love a good fantasy story, or those interested in creative magic systems.

[seaofsorrow-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good book. I loved the magic system. It seems that Brandon Sanderson keeps on coming up with these very intricate and elaborate magic systems and worlds. If I were a betting man, I would think, this book was in fact, intertwined with his other books (Mistborn Trilogy, Elantris, & Way of Kings Series). I hope he continues on with this too. The plot devices were pretty cool but the plot regarding the priests and scribes seemed predictable. Vasher was very interesting character and well written. Vivien was probably the one that evolved the most, and I was glad it didn't turn out to be a drama, Dostrayovsky-esque.

[velmeran · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having read quite a few of Sanderson's books at this point, I can say that while this was a good book, it was not one of his best. It did include a fascinating new look at magic. It did have his amazing ability to weave a story, or in this case several. It did pleasantly surprise with an enjoyable ending. What it did not do well was draw you into the characters in the way he has in other tales. I did not dis-like them, I just didn't really care either. It was still well worth the read.

[fitakyre · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would have given it four stars, but the ending was really abrupt and less polished than the rest of the book, which sort of ruined the experience for me.

[mzieg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Certainly not on the same level as Mistborn or Elantris, but engaging enough in its own childlike way. Clearly less dark, and with less tension, than either of those previous worlds, yet continuing Sanderson's ever-fascinating obsession with exploring the nature of religion from multiple perspectives. The one character I found really memorable was the god Lightsong, the divine cynic with a positively Zelaznian worldview.

(To be clear, I read version 4.0 up through the first half, at which point it became clear that the HTML versions were missing large chunks of the final story, at which point I upleveled to the 6.1 PDF :-)

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brandon Sanderson does one-shot fantasies very well - he comes up with interesting magic systems and plays with the implications in a very readable fashion. Warbreaker was up to his usual standard.

[chriskrycho · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first of Sanderson's books I read, and I read it for free (as he makes it available for free on his website). I was skeptical of the man chosen to finish The Wheel of Time - and came out so enthused I promptly bought the book.

[revslick_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sanderson is now officially king of fantasy magical systems. With Warbreaker, he introduces a system of magic in which a person's internal breathe can be used to animate objects dead or alive. In addition to a unique magical system, he has created a delightful book exploring role reversals. It reminded me of a classic folktale for adults. The ending felt slightly rushed but otherwise a fun ride.